ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) -UCF softball released its 2014 slate Friday afternoon, as the squad prepares for its first season in the American Athletic Conference. The schedule includes 54 games, highlighted by 41 contests at the UCF Softball Complex, including four home tournaments. The Knights will open the season at home on Feb. 7 against Long Island University-Brooklyn.

UCF head coach Renee Luers-Gillispie will look to earn the squad's sixth postseason appearance since 2005, compiling another challenging schedule with games against some of the nation's best.

"We're very excited about the 2014 season," said Luers-Gillispie. "We're excited about the players we have returning, as well as the very strong freshman class we have. We're looking forward to a very exciting and tough schedule in our first season with the American Athletic Conference, and we're looking to make it back to (NCAA) Regionals with the tough schedule we have and the players we're returning."

The Knights' slate includes 13 contests against nine teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, including Alabama, Florida State, James Madison, Notre Dame, Penn and Virginia Tech, along with three-game weekend sets against conference rivals Houston, Louisville and USF.

UCF will visit Tallahassee to face in-state rival Florida State on Feb. 19. The Knights last defeated the Seminoles, 2-1, with a walk-off victory in 2011.

For its third regular-season tournament, UCF will play in the University of Alabama Tournament in Tuscaloosa from Feb. 21-23, where th Knights will face McNeese State, Virginia Tech and tournament host Alabama.

In its inaugural season in The American, UCF will open its league slate at home against Memphis on March 22 and 23. The Knights will also host Rutgers, Louisville and Houston, while traveling to Temple and USF before wrapping up the regular season at UConn. The Knights will visit Houston for the American Athletic Conference Softball Tournament, which begins May 8.